부산대학교 도서관

Patients with haemophilia are at increased risk of hepatitis C infection because of prior transfusion of blood products. Virtually all haemophiliacs who received pooled blood products before the mid-1980s have been infected with hepatitis C. A liver biopsy is important to identify the extent of liver disease, and to help determine the necessity of interferon therapy. With factor replacement, in-hospital liver biopsy is safe. Thirty patients with haemophilia were evaluated for chronic hepatitis C infection. Eleven patients subsequently underwent successful transjugular liver biopsy in the outpatient setting after appropriate factor replacement. Mean ± SD pre- and post-haemoglobin values were 15.8 ± 0.79 and 14.4 ± 0.71 g dL-1 (P = ns). There was no significant change in heart rate, systolic or diastolic blood pressure during the monitoring period (P = ns) and no major complication was noted in perioperative follow-up. The mean length of the liver biopsy specimens was 1.7 ± 0.3 cm, mean grade was 2 ± 0.6 and mean stage was 2.3 ± 1.2. Our experience demonstrates that outpatient transjugular liver biopsy can be safely performed in patients with haemophilia in the outpatient setting, avoiding the cost and need for hospital admission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]